This Sunday, River Plate will face Vélez Sarsfield at the Monumental stadium at 8:30 PM. The match corresponds to the sixteenth date of the 2025 Apertura Tournament of the Professional Football League. River aims to secure second place in Zone B and finish as high as possible in the regular phase.
River arrives at the match motivated after defeating Boca Juniors in the Superclásico and obtaining an important draw in Quito for the Copa Libertadores. Currently, Marcelo Gallardo's team is in third place in their zone with 28 points. With a victory, they could surpass Independiente, who lost their last match against Rosario Central.
Regarding the lineup, River will have to reorganize their defense due to the absences of Lucas Martínez Quarta, suspended, and Gonzalo Montiel, injured. Meanwhile, Vélez, coming off a win against Gimnasia, will try to bid farewell to the tournament with honor. The presence of Guillermo Barros Schelotto as Vélez's coach adds excitement to the match as it marks his return to the Núñez stadium after the suspended final in 2018.
For the match, River will have Franco Armani in goal and the possible inclusion of Fabricio Bustos, Germán Pezzella, and Marcos Acuña in defense. In the midfield, Enzo Pérez or Rodrigo Aliendro, Kevin Castaño, and several candidates for the midfield. Up front, the attacking duo would consist of Sebastián Driussi and Facundo Colidio.
As for Vélez, Tomás Marchiori hopes to recover from an injury to defend the goal, while Emanuel Mammana and Damián Fernández could add minutes in the match. Among other returns to the squad, the right-back Isaías Andrade and winger Manuel Fernández stand out.
Both teams look to close the regular phase with a good performance, although Vélez no longer has chances to advance in the tournament after Instituto's victory in the previous date. It will be an exciting encounter with key players and defining strategies from coaches Gallardo and Barros Schelotto.
